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Monday, November 15, 2010

Any News on Shakespeare Squared?

As I'm browsing the ads, I see a couple of posts by Shakespeare Squared. I know that folks were having a hard time getting paid for a while. I want to know if that's still the case. Has anyone worked for them successfully recently?

15 comments:

I did a small job for them several months ago. I took it knowing about the negative feedback I'd seen online. My total invoice was less than $300, and I was eventually paid, but it came after several "reminder" emails. They've since contacted me numerous times about other jobs, but the timing has never worked out.

It took a year for me to be paid for a $1,000 job, but I was finally paid in full this year. Complaints are still coming in to the Writer's Weekly board, though. I would read through the postings on Writer's Weekly before making a decision to work with them.

Based on the fact that new complaints still seem to be coming in, I wouldn't recommend it. I was finally paid, but it took many months, involved many ignored phone calls/e-mails, and lots of publicity from writersweekly.com.

After sending my complaint into the Writer's Weekly board and then forwarding my message onto the district attorney's office who is handling all the non-payment clients, I finally got paid. I strongly encourage everyone to stay away from them.

Shakespeare Squared still owes me $250 from almost 2 years ago. They actually had the nerve to ask me to work on another project. When I wrote back telling them they should pay me for work I've already done before taking on new work they said that's how they can get money to pay what they owe, by getting new projects. So as far as I'm concerned, they are still not very reputable and still owe me money.

Shakespeare Squared is still iffy. I finished a project for them four months ago and have yet to receive full compensation. None of the writers I worked with on it have been paid. We keep hearing that there are "revisions" that need to be made but nobody has been asked to revise anything. So, there you go...

I do not recommend working for them. Unfortunately, I was laid off in the spring and so took the work even after noticing some complaints. They owe me nearly $2500. Not reliable. Not responsive. Not good.

Stay away! They owe a friend of mine more than $400 and are giving her the same excuse about cash flow problems to avoid paying her. No reputable company would hire new writers before they've paid for work already completed. Bad news.

I am that friend...and complainant #38 on the Writer's Weekly site. It is so upsetting that I turned around the two projects rapidly, got excellent feedback, and am still waiting since August for my payment. There is a DA and detective in Chicago assigned to investigate S2. Up until last week I was still being contacted for more work. Apparently they operate like a Ponzi scam, eventually paying the previous freelancers (or those who complain) via the funds earned from the current freelancers. Avoid like the proverbial plague!

And on Feb. 14 S2 filed for bankruptcy, stiffing at least 300 freelancers. We will probably get paid pennies on the dollars owed, if at all. I've learned a difficult lesson to investigate before writing.

I was the second person to complain about S2 on Writer's Weekly. It took a client intervention for one project on which I worked in order for a previous project to get paid by S2. The project with the intervention took an entire year to receive $250.00. In fact, one payment of $50 initially bounced. It is true that they did file bankruptcy and also they are being reported to IL attorney general because they were advertising for new freelancers at the same time as filing bankruptcy. DO NOT work for this company or any of Kleeman and her family's company offshoots.

I am another contractor that they owe 500.00 to since last november (2010). I wish I was aware of this before taking on a contract from them. They are extremely unprofessional and do not return any emails/phone calls.

Do not work for them unless you want to work pro-bono! I have been owed approx $1,400 since Summer 2010. Difficult to ever even get a response regarding past due invoices, and then I did, it was nothing definitive until notice was just received that they are filing for Chapter 11. From what I understand they have filed before. Almost looks like a pattern with them. Hire writers, don't pay, and file bankruptcy and start up again. Best part of all....the Better Business Bureau still gives them a great rating, even though they have been made aware of the problems with this company! I even filed a complaint last year with the Attorney General, but nothing ever came of it.

Shakespeare Squared went bankrupt on me. I was warned that they didn't pay, checks bounced, etc., but I thought I would try anyhow. First I was told there was a cashflow problem, then I was sent the letter protecting them as they they went bankrupt. Besides this, I have heard rumors that the "tests" they have teachers/writers take are actual work that they use for publishers. Complete Ponzi scheme going on here, and the writer/teachers are the victims.